MKR 3: The Magic Guardians
by Clefster1
Summary: This is a continuation of the Magic Knight Rayearth TV series. It picks up at the end of the last episode of MKR 2. Also, don't bother commenting on how some of my chapters are really short because thats how I'm writing it and it's not going to change.
1. The Return

Magic Knight Rayearth 3: The Magic Guardians

Magic Knight Rayearth 3: The Magic Guardians  


Disclaimer: CLAMP owns Magic Knight Rayearth and all the characters in it. The anime is licensed by Anime Works a division of Media Blasters in the United States. The manga is licensed by Mixx Manga and the TokyoPop press in America. I do not own it or license it. I am only borrowing them for this story on which I am not making any money in any way.

WARNING: You probably won't understand this story unless you have seen the first two seasons of the Magic Knight Rayearth TV series or if you are very familiar with the story and characters. Knowing about the OAV will not help. You will probably be able to understand it if you have read the six manga written and illustrated by CLAMP, but the story is a continuation of the TV show story as far as details.   
  
Suddenly the air around them was filled with golden light.   
"We're going back," Hikaru said through tears of joy.  
Flash! Tokyo tower slowly disappeared leaving them surrounded by clear blue sky stretching out as far as the eye could see. It took a minute for the three girls to realize that they were falling fast toward the ground of continent they knew so well.   
"Isn't this the part where a giant flying fish saves us from falling to our doom?" the suddenly super deformed Umi screamed in the whiney voice she only used when she was scared out of her wits but didn't want anyone else to know it.  
The other two girls looked around also expecting one of Master Mage Clef's animal friends to catch them like they had the first two times they visited the land of Cephiro.  
"Ahhhhhhhhh!" they all screamed in unison.   
Fuu, who had always believed a superior intellect could come up with a solution to any problem, abruptly let out a cry of desperation as she noticed the earth speeding up at her dangerously close. "No!"  
Just as the word left her mouth the three girls' speed slowed and then diminished to nothing. They had been caught by a strong wind before the unthinkable happened. The girls were deposited lightly to the ground where they fell over into a bundle of sighs.   
"Whew. We've fought monsters and evil wizards and lived, but we were almost defeated by the absence of a breeze." Umi said sarcastically, but in her mind she knew her statement was scarily close o the truth.   
  
It had been two years since the three junior high school girls left Cephiro after defeating the evil Lady Debonair. Hikaru had claimed the proof of the pillar and gotten rid of the pillar system. Hikaru decreed that from that point on Cephiro would belong to the people and the land would be governed by their hearts.   
On the reunion of the day the girls first me, they convened at Tokyo tower and made the decision to return to Cephiro to catch up with their friends and see what the people had made the kingdom into.   
  
Fuu opened her eyes. In all her relief she had not noticed their surroundings.   
"We appear to be in front of the great castle we stayed in last time," she said matter-of-factly.   
"That's right."  
The girls turned at hearing the familiar voice.  
"Presea!" they cried as they ran to hug their old friend.  
"Its so good to see you and so unexpected. How did you get here?"  
"How are you? Where is everyone?" Reunited the old friends showered each other with questions.   
"Please come inside and I will tell you everything that has happened over a nice lunch."  
  
On their way into the castle Hikaru noticed a large statue of Clef in the garden out front. She smiled thinking of everyone she had come back to. The statue seemed to smile back.  
  
The party entered a large dining room with several giant wooden tables that stretched across the length of the chamber. They all took a seat.  
  
"Shouldn't we call the others in before we eat?" Fuu asked politely.  
"Perhaps I should start from the beginning then," Presea sighed. "I am the only one left here at the palace. After the final battle our little group was disbanded. It never occurred to me while we were together but we were all very different. If it had not been for the hard times we probably would not have been friends. There was also the fact that you were gone. It broke Ferio's heart to know that he might never see you again Fuu, so he left to go back to the Forest of Silence and resume his nomadic ways. Caldina decided to go back to Chizeta and see her family so she left with the two princesses. Ascot stayed here with me for a time, but eventually he left for a manor in the forest where he could be with his 'friends.' Lantis left for Autozam immediately after the castle was rebuilt to organize the research of the pillar system because it was eagle's dieing wish. I haven't heard from him since. Lafarga disappeared to who knows where. Without the pillar he was out of work. I haven't heard from anyone. I'm not even sure they're still alive"  
  
The girls were shocked "But what of Clef...and Mokona?" Umi asked trying to cover up her concern for the wizard.   
"After the restoration of the country, Mokona disappeared and Clef became depressed. He moped around the castle in a melancholy mood all the time. He felt that he was unneeded, and eventually his will left him and he turned to stone. The statue outside is all that remains of him. But don't be sad. Cephiro has been turned into a utopia. Everything is perfect here."   
  
This was too much for Hikaru. She had thought that getting rid of the pillar system was the only thing to do, and she had seen from the air what a beautiful and prosperous country Cephiro had become. More beautiful than she had ever seen it, but now he began to second-guess her decision. She had caused her friends so much pain, and now it seemed that they weren't even friends anymore. She couldn't stop a tear from rolling down her cheek.  
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The girls handled the news in different ways. Hikaru stayed to herself walking around the castle. Her perfect reunion day had not been as good as she had hoped. Umi spent a lot of time in the garden staring at the remnants of her love. Fuu seemed to take it all in stride though. She discovered that the third tower of the castle had been turned into a library in her honor. She had been up there for a week pouring over every book when Presea went to see how she was doing.  
  
"Fuu you've been up here for almost six days. Don't you need something to eat or maybe a hot bath?"  
"Why didn't you tell us?" Fuu said coldly without turning to face her.   
"I wanted to. You know I did, but I didn't want to cause you anymore pain. I never wanted to cause you girls any pain."


	2. A New Cause

Chapter 2: A New Cause

Fuu stormed out of the library. She had known Cephiro wasn't the same now but she had no idea that monsters had been tormenting the country even more than when they had been fighting to "save" Emeraude. She couldn't really justify her anger at Presea but she felt that if she had told them, they could've been out fighting for the people all this time they had spent just moping around the castle. She also had the inkling that Presea hadn't been totally honest about everything else. 

"Hikaru! Umi! We have to go," Fuu found the two lounging in the garden. Fuu told them about the book of Cephiro's recent history she had found in the library. 

"Then we have to pull out of our depression and continue fighting for Cephiro," Hikaru said, rejuvenated by the thought of a new mission.

"It'll be just like before," Umi said also feeling uplifted. 

"But how could Presea keep it from us? Don't you think that was an awful thing to do…." Fuu was cut off.

"We can't worry about that now. She probably had good intentions in her heart. Now, all we can focus on is exterminating these new monsters," Hikaru said. 

Fuu wasn't convinced. She was shocked at how lightly Hikaru had brushed it off. Holding a grudge was one of Fuu's flaws and she knew it so she tried to put it out of her mind. 

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Later, as the girls started to leave the castle, Presea ran up behind them yelling. "Wait."

Fuu glared back coldly, "Don't ask us not to go. Our minds are made up."

"Fuu!" Hikaru gave her a look that said, "Shut up."

"I'm sorry about Fuu she's just shocked about the level of problems Cephiro has been experiencing. What is it?" Umi asked.

"I don't want you to go out there unprotected. There is one thing can do for you." 

"How can we trust you. If you didn't tell us the whole truth about Cephiro's state what else have you told us that's false?" Fuu said suddenly enraged.

"FUU!"

"I'm sorry Hikaru, but this can't be the same person we met the first time we came to Cephiro!" Fuu, herself, didn't understand this feeling of anger she had against Presea. Presea had always been their friend before. Fuu kept telling herself that this was not rational, but she couldn't control it. 

Presea looked up at them through a tear stained face. She slowly lifted her arm and pointed at a tapestry on the adjacent wall. The picture on the tapestry quivered and changed into a door. Then, without warning, Presea ran away down the hall with her face buried in her white dress. 

"Fuu, I can't believe how you are acting. This isn't like you," Hikaru said rather vehemently. 

Umi didn't say anything. She didn't want to admit it, but she seemed to get the same vibe of lies and deception from Presea. She thought that perhaps Hikaru was too immature to understand it. 

Without a word, Fuu walked over to the tapestry and opened the door. The door opened into a narrow spiral staircase surrounded by gray stone walls. The three girls descended to what seemed like a dungeon. The room at the bottom of the stairs was filled with weapons and armor. The walls were covered in pictures of knights and heroes from Cephiro's past. Fuu thought that all of these people must have had to go through the same pain they had on their first trip to this land of will. 

Something shimmered in the air above them. The pile of old junk gave way to a small pedestal. Everything else seemed dark, but this column glowed with power. The girls walked over to the pedestal. Each placed their right hand on top of the column in a gesture that wouldn't have been foreign to a baseball team working up their spirits before a game. The column glowed and in togetherness the girls received the magic gloves and armor that had been with them through some of the hardest moments in their lives, but were they really together in their hearts?


	3. Parting Ways

Chapter 3: Parting Ways

The three girls marched on through the woods in silence. None had spoken since Fuu's outburst at Presea. They had not gotten their weapons back with their armor and gloves, which was puzzling since all of Cephiro's previous knights' weapons were stored in that dank basement. They weren't worried though. The trio was banking on the use of their magic to swiftly defeat as many monsters as they could.

They marched on, together but isolated. 

Suddenly from her peripheries, Umi spotted a small yellow dragon. 

"Watch it girls, he's coming from the right." Umi managed as she jumped out of the way of a fireball. 

"I'll take care of this one," Hikaru said confidently. "FLAME ARROW!" she screamed the phrase that had saved them so many times, but this time something was wrong. Everything was wrong because nothing had happened. 

The monster got back up from its flinching position. It was filled with new confidence. "Scraaaaaw!" it bellowed as it emitted fire from its yellow beak.

"Aaaaah," Umi shrieked in pain as she was hit dead on wit the blast. 

"Stop it!" Fuu screamed impulsively as a small tear flew from her eye. "WINDS OF PROTECTION" she yelled knowing that she could not help her friend. 

The gem on Hikaru's glove glowed red, and a sword appeared from within, jumping into Hikaru's palm. 

"Scraaaw," creamed the beast.

Hikaru lunged at the monster with what Fuu realized was a kendo sword. Hikaru must have had it with her wen they left for Cephiro. Hikaru hit the dragon's head against the blunt wood. The monster screeched in pain. It looked as if it would pass out from the blow. 

"Scraaaaaw!" the thing was about to release its final attack, when suddenly a sound was heard from over head.

"Puuuuuuuuuuu!" A beam of yellow light engulfed the baddy, and a white puff of cloud descended on it from the sky. 

When the cloud of dust had cleared, the girls could make out broken chunks of stone and feathers lying on the ground and on top of the heap.…

"MOKONA!" the three momentarily forgot their anger towards each other and embraced their old friend. 

That night they slept in the egg shelter Mokona had produced for them on their first journey through Cephiro. The girls had then affectionately named it the "Mokona Motel." 

There had been no discussion between the girls since Mokona's arrival. A fact that seemed to annoy the ever perky rabbit-looking ball of fluff. Umi especially wanted to share her thoughts about where their swords might be and why they couldn't use their magic. Hikaru seemed especially disturbed that she couldn't use any spells. She was afraid that she would not be able to help this place that she loved so much. 

Fuu could not sleep that night. She kept reliving her trip to the library and her outburst at Presea. She thought of it over and over again in her mind. She knew something wasn't right about that woman. It was a feeling she had had in her second trip to this place, but then she had had other more pressing matters to deal with. Fuu noticed a light on the other side of the room. She got to investigate it being careful to wake her friends. 

Beyond the sink Mokona was sitting on the floor. The bead on his forehead was glowing green, and something was materializing on the floor beside him. It took the form of a book.

"Ahhh," Fuu breathed.

The next morning Umi awoke to Hikaru scampering around the room nervously. "What's going on Hikki?" Umi asked rubbing her eyes. 

"Fuu is gone. I can't find her. She's not outside and I can't even find a note in here," Hikaru said anxiously. 

"That's not like her. She always leaves word of her actions." Umi said.

"Yah, but she hasn't been herself lately." Hikaru said flatly.

"You know Hikaru, I think Fuu could be right about Presea keeping things from us. I mean don't you think its weird that Presea was "brought back to life by Emeraude," but in the residential quarters of the great castle there weren't half as many people around in our second visit as the number we saw in the villages the first time," Umi said weary of the look she got from Hikaru's flaming eyes.

"Why would she lie to us, Umi? I can't believe you are taking Fuu's side on this. Fuu was out of line with her comments to Presea…." Hikaru was cut off.

"I'm going to search the surrounding woods. If Fuu is out there, I'll find her." Umi said angrily as she exited the shelter. Umi however had no intention of returning to her red haired "friend."


	4. The Past Unlocked

Chapter 4: The Past Unlocked

Chapter 4: The Past Unlocked

Fuu finally had what she needed. She should have guessed that Mokona would be able to produce the key to solving her problem. After all, in their past adventures, Mokona had provided everything they needed. The key was in her hands but se had to return to the lock to use it. So she approached the door. 

Fuu was rapidly approaching the door that she sought. The door to the palace. Before she made it, however, she heard voices from the courtyard. Because she had not yet left the forest covering, Fuu was able to slip behind a large tree and remain undetected by the people. 

Fuu realized one of the voices was Presea's. Her mind was filled with thoughts of their previous encounter, and she decided to steer clear of her. 

Fuu circled the castle remaining in the woods. She headed towards the door from the back, which really wasn't the back but just rather on the other side from the door she was used to entering from. Fuu was saddened by what she saw next.

In the rear courtyard, where the statue of Clef stood on the mirror side, stood a grand statue of the three Magic Knights in their full armor holding the weapons that Presea had fashioned for them from the sacred ore, Escudo. They all three looked happy and friendly and warm to one another in the statue. She supposed that was how it had been. Now, she didn't know what would become of the Magic Knights. They had saved Cephiro twice. They had done their unpleasant job as Magic Knights, but Cephiro still needed them, and Fuu intended to do as best as she could to help the world that she loved as much as her own. 

She entered the castle and began to climb the infinitely high stairs that would lead her to the library. Fuu stopped about one flight up and looked out through a stained glass window. She could still see Presea in the garden, but she couldn't find who she was talking to from her vantage point. She couldn't see anyone else.

She continued climbing reassured that she would not have to deal with the master smith. 

Finally, she made it to the giant wood double doors that opened into the library. Their was a bronze plaque beside the doors that had been inscribed with the symbol of Windam and an inscription telling of its dedication to Fuu Hououji, the Magic Knight of wisdom and wind. 

She forced the heavy door open slowly as not to disturb anyone who might be resting in the castle. She slipped through the crack she had opened and entered _her_ library. 

It was grand with shelves filled with volumes to the ceiling. Part of it was two storied and there were large opaque windows to let in sun light by which citizens could read. She rummaged through the shelves before finding what she sought. 

The Ancient History of the Kingdom of Cephiro, one of the oldest volumes in the library, was written all in an old speech that was no longer in use. Fuu opened the book and then focused on the green gem on her glove, which glowed and produced a more new looking book. Mokona had materialized a book for Fuu that would help her translate the book of ancient history that she knew would lead her to the truth she was searching for.

"Come Alcione, I have it," Fuu said to the dark figure that was slowly making her way towards Fuu.


	5. Wandering and Wondering

Chapter 5: Wandering and Wondering

Umi journeyed deeper into the forest. She knew where she was going, but to get there she would have to rely on her instincts. The country had changed a lot since she had been their before, but she was confident that at least one thing would be the same. One thing would still be there, waiting. Perhaps waiting for her. She didn't know why she felt the need to go there, but she did. It seemed to her that many people had been having feelings that they didn't understand lately. Umi had questions that she needed to get answered before she could face anyone else she had known before. She especially wanted to know what had happened after Hikaru got rid of the pillar system. She had decreed that the country would be governed by the people's hearts. What had they done? How were things changed?

For the first time Umi started to register what had just happened between her and Hikaru and Hikaru and Fuu. She realized that they had just have a falling out, and it broke her heart. She felt as if something dark was reaching up trying to grab onto her heart. She thought back to just a few months before when she would have died to protect the other Magic Knights, but now she felt like things could never be the same.

"No," Umi said in defiance. "If Cephiro truly is the land where a person's will rules all then we will be friends again. Best friends. I swear it."

It brought a tear to her eye to think about what would happen if she couldn't. She tried to push that thought out of her head. 

Umi suddenly looked up and realized where she was. It was the place where the black orb had been creating monsters and canceling all magic. This was the Forest of Silence. 

"Good," she thought. "I'm not far away then." One thing in particular was bothering Umi. She had lost something and she very much wanted it back. The first place to look would be…

"The Spring of Eterna," Umi yelled in triumph as she entered the glade where the blue surface stood unaffected by the drastic changes in Cephiro. This is where it had all begun for her missing sword and this is where it would all begin again. She was confident of that. 


	6. Visions in Blindness

Chapter 6: Visions in Blindness

Chapter 6: Visions in Blindness

Umi entered the glade slowly in reverence for the great wisdom and power it contained. If she had not been entranced by the sacred spring she probably could have heard a sound not dissimilar to a church choir humming very faraway. The whole area seemed blessed by a higher power.

Umi walked over to the pool floating in the air and looked down at it. The water seemed to ripple with serenity as if to invite her in. She climbed the large stone beside it and without even really considering her actions dived into it.

…and she fell. She fell for what seemed like an eternity. She fell through the darkness. The water around her wasn't too cold or too hot. In fact, it didn't feel like water at all but emptiness. Slowly Umi relaxed and her eyes began to close and her mind began to open. 

**FLASH**

…and she was bombarded by a downpour of red and white feathers engulfing her body…

**FLASH**

…and she was in a room with people she seemed to know but she couldn't quit remember. They seemed to be quarreling but everything was blurry…

**FLASH**

…and she saw a statue of three men standing together in front of the great palace…

**FLASH** 

…and she saw Presea when she was creating the Magic Knights' swords, but it was happening in reverse…

**FLASH**

…and she saw her parents whom Umi had had to battle replica's of to gain her chunk of the legendary ore, escudo… 

**FLASH**

Umi opened her eyes and she was right side up, but when he looked down she discovered that nothing was beneath her giving support. She would have been shocked but the feeling was overcome by a greater shock when she looked up to discover a large piece of escudo floating in front of her. It glowed and then slowly melted away until only a small glazed sphere was left. The sphere circled Umi and then touched her neck.

**FLASH**

The next thing Umi knew, she was laying on the ground right outside the spring. 

"What?" she wondered to herself while she got to her feet. As she did, she felt something bounce against her neck. She looked down to find the escudo on a chain around her neck.

The blue haired beauty pondered over this as she began to walk away. As she left the grove, however, Umi noticed a familiar mound of dirt.


	7. Hikaru on the Hunt

Chapter 7: Hikaru on the Hunt

Chapter 7: Hikaru on the Hunt

"Hmph!" Hikaru groaned as she walked angrily back to the Mokona Hotel, "Fine! If those two aren't going to help me then I'll do it by myself!"

A few hours after her departure, Hikaru realized that Umi wasn't coming back, but she was still dead set on protecting Cephiro from the monsters that roamed the country even without her magic and with only a wooden kendo sword. 

After she gathered her few belongings, Hikaru started on her way. Mokona followed after her as the egg shelter dematerialized into light that disappeared into the jewel on Mokona's forehead. 

"If Fuu were here she would say I am being reckless," Hikaru said to herself. "Who cares? I'm doing this for Cephiro!"

Hikaru started to think while she walked. She wondered what was up with Fuu. Fuu never really made conclusions about things unless she was positive about them. She wondered why Umi had left and where she had gone. She wondered why Mokona had picked this time to show back up after so long. She wondered why more of her friends from Cephiro hadn't been at the castle. She wondered and she walked. 

After sometime, Hikaru came upon a small gray blob creature, "Ahhhhhh!" She screamed as she drew her sword and lunged at it. The blob put up little resistance and then hardened to rock and crumbled into dust. 

"Alright! I don't need a sword to play exterminator!" Hikaru yelled in triumph. 

She went on like this for several hours, killing small mostly monsters, but something was wrong. She didn't feel like she did when she was first in Cephiro. She didn't have her sword or her magic…or her friends. "Awww, forget them. Its their fault they're not here!" She said to her self trying and failing miserably to heighten her spirits. 

Not too long after she came upon a cave in the side of a cliff. She was tired because it was almost nightfall, but she felt she really needed to get rid of at least one big monster before she retired to her cozy bed. She also found the cave to have an ominous "eternal darkness" look to it. 

"The perfect lair for a monster in this storybook world," She thought. However, as she got closer to the den she became a little bit less confident in her ability to fight with her "weapon."

Without warning, a huge beast leapt from the cave. It looked like a giant gray stone bear with blood dripping off its teeth. 

Hikaru felt overwhelmed by this sight at started to move backwards, but the bear leapt forward heading straight at her. 

Hikaru screamed but didn't lose control. She started to run away as hard and as quickly as she could, but as she did she spotted something out in her peripheries. Another monster! This one was like a large golden brown eagle with the body structure of a human. She was caught between a rock and a hard place and Hikaru gave up in despair. She screamed in fear before she blacked out…


	8. Blade of the Sea

Chapter 8: Blade of the Sea

Umi walked over to the small mound of dirt that she remembered so clearly. She sat down and tried to wrap her mind around what she was seeing. 

What seemed like so long ago in her life, Umi had witnessed Presea's death while she had been creating the Escudo swords for the Magi Knights. They had all three felt guilty and responsible for her death. Later, when they returned too Cephiro, Clef had told them that Emeraud's final wish had been to restore all the lives that had been lost during the long battle with Zagato. They had met up with Presea again in their battle with Debonair, but this…this was her gravesite.

Umi was puzzled. She had always wondered if Emeraud had restored all the lives lost, why Inouva never returned and why there were less innocent citizens around. She had figured that many citizens must have died before they could make it to the castle, but now she wasn't so sure. 

"Oh Presea, what's going on?" Umi asked more to herself than to what may or may not have been contained in that grave. She felt a strong presence as she placed her hand on the small wooden cross that marked the spot of Presea's burial. Presea's aura seemed to fill Umi's heart. It comforted her, and she felt warm. 

A piece of the dirt on the grave began to fall away and a beam of light made its way into the air. Slowly, more dirt was up heaved for this mysterious glow. Umi's first reaction was to draw back in fear, but then she understood. 

Umi placed her hand above the light and gripped the stalk of glowing air. Something began to materialize in her hand. 

A Sword!

Umi held the handle and pulled it fully out of the grave. She swung it around in the air in triumph and relief. It was not her sword. Not the one Presea had given her life to create for her from the legendary ore, but it was the sword that Presea had loaned to her to fight off the monsters in the Forest of Silence so they could get to the Spring of Eterna. 

"Thank you," Umi said to Presea. "And we will not forget you." Umi started walking on into the forest. She did not know the answer to the mystery of Presea, but she felt that she had learned much and staying in one place wouldn't benefit anyone. So she moved on, equipped to handle just about anything. 


	9. The Manor

Chapter 9: The Manor

Chapter 9: The Manor

"Hikaru? Hikaru?" 

Hikaru woke up slowly and her eyes were met by a blurry and obscured person of about average height. 

"Hikaru?" he said again hoping that she was still alive.

"Ascot?" Suddenly Hikaru was awake and sitting up on her bed. She had thought she would die. She had thought she would be eaten by one of two monsters, and now she was sitting up in a plush bed right next to one of her friends. 

"Hikaru, you're alright. I'm glad. My friends and I were worried," Ascot motioned to a great beast that stood beside him. It was very tall like a human but it had the features of a bird. Like a hawk. It was covered in brown feathers, had wings, and sported a long yellow beak. 

"You're the one who saved me!?!?" Hikaru said as the realization took over and her face started to blush in admiration and thanks. Hikaru looked around her. The room they were in was a large and open. Its furnishings were all wood, and many wall tapestries hung about. The high ceilings she supposed were to help house Ascots "friends," which most other people saw as pets if not monsters rather than beings. She looked at Ascot. He seemed to be a little bit different from the last time they met, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She was still a bit dazed from her attack. 

"Our manor sits atop a large hill that overlooks the valley in which you were attacked. Luckily, I recognized you from one of the upper balconies and sent my friend to save you." Ascot explained. 

"I'm so glad to see you, Ascot, and I thank you for saving me, but I must go. I am on a mission to rid Cephiro of the monsters that plague it." Hikaru said with zeal.

"I will not allow it, Hikaru," Ascot said in defiance. "Did you know that half the "monsters" you killed on your little quest were harmless creatures of the forest. Many new species have taken shape since you've been here. Part of the reason I moved out here to the manor was to watch over them…and the breaking," Ascot finished his sentence under his breath hoping Hikaru had not noticed. "…and you are in no condition to do any fighting. My eagle pal may have saved you but you got beaten up pretty badly by that bear."

"Alright," Hikaru said feeling beaten down. She did still feel tired and the problem was exacerbated by the news that all the work she had been doing was actually hurting her cause. "Ascot, why do you look so different?" Hikaru said, yawning.

"Oh. that." Ascot took a deep breath he was also starting to feel fatigued. "If you remember, before, I only made myself grow up because of Umi," he blushed a little but went on, "Then I found out she loved someone else, and then the three of you left for what we thought would be the last time. Caldina suggested it, actually. She said that I shouldn't rush through what might end up being the best years of my life so here I am…a teenager."

But Hikaru did not here his explanation because she had fallen fast asleep. 

The next few weeks were fun for Hikaru. She hung out and lazed around the castle catching up with Ascot and getting to know his friends. After some time she even started training despite her wounds. She and Ascot practiced sparring and Tae Bo, and Hikaru taught ascot Kendo with her practice sword. 

One day when Hikaru was feeling particularly good and they had just come out of the large wooden room they used for sparing, Hikaru picked up a lit torch that had a long neck sticking into the floor. She did a series of complicated series of kendo moves and stances and feeling particularly invigorated, she ended her routine in a loud "HA!" with the head of the torch sticking out in front of her. 

A small burst of flame emitted from the torch singing Ascot's back. "Watch it, Hikaru."

The event went relatively unnoticed, but what did it mean?


	10. Interlude- The Past Revealed

Chapter 10: Interlude~ The Past Revealed

Chapter 10: Interlude~ The Past Revealed

When she had been in the library before researching the recent history of Cephiro, Fuu had met Alcione. She didn't seem at all like the Alcione she had battled many times in the past when she was working for Zagato and Debonair. She was kind and gentle and a helpful and knowledgeable librarian. Fuu wandered what had happened to her or if this was even the same person, but there were more pressing matters at hand and she couldn't take the time to inquire any further into what could end up being a very long story.

During her last visit to the library, Fuu had found a book that she thought would be the key to finding out what had to be done about Cephiro's troubles. It seemed to her that everything in Cephiro happened in a cycle. A pillar was found and trained, the pillar upheld the "beautiful" realm of Cephiro for a few centuries, and then they fell in love or found something else that distracted them from their duties as pillar. At that point the magic knights would have to be summoned from another world to kill the pillar, and the cycle would start over. However, Hikaru had broken the cycle when she became the pillar by declaring that this world would be ruled by the wills and hearts of the people. Fuu thought that someone would have seen this coming or perhaps it had happened before. Perhaps the cycle wasn't actually broken. At any rate, Fuu had found a book that she felt would help her find the answers to her questions. Alcione had said it was one of the oldest volumes in the library and it was written in the old speech, which only Master Mage Clef remembered now. But then it happened, Mokona materialized a scroll that would allow Fuu to translate the book. 

"Come, Alcione. I have it and it is time," Fuu said ominously, which she felt would add to the mood.

Alcione, dressed in a conservatively high cut pink gown, which was unusual for her as far as Fuu could remember, held up the scroll. Fuu opened the book, and together they began to read…


	11. THE PAST

Chapter 11: THE PAST

Chapter 11: THE PAST

It is said that Cephiro was established by a renegade prince from Fahren named Astor Ching, who had no wish to inherit the crown of Fahren because of all the strings attached. He, therefore, slunk away into the country's low life slums and became a thief by trade just stealing enough food to stay alive. He could not run from his father, the most powerful person in the country, forever, though, so eventually he and two of his comrades stowed away on an exploration craft. His father was more willing to have his son dead than running around a criminal, so a bounty was placed on the heads of him and his friends. Now, at this point in the history of the world, it is believed that the last of the old races were just completing their business in this dimension and not all of the galaxy as we know it today was formed yet. The old races had been given charge of creating various worlds from the power of their will. After a planet was formed from a mass of rock, it stopped its free flowing movement through space. It is said that Astor was forced to evacuate the ship he was riding because of a surprise inspection by a high ranking military officer of Fahren. After the life pod he escaped in malfunctioned, Astor barely survived to see the ground of the unformed Cephiro on which he landed.

When he recovered, Astor discovered the body of one of the old races lying on a rock nearby. It looked to be unconscious as if it fell from the heavens. People who see the old races have never been able to describe the experience except that they were never quite the same person afterwards. However, Astor has left us record that this celestial being had great white wings on which it flew through space at great speed. Astor nursed its wounds, and the two of them recovered together. In gratitude, the alien gave Astor the power of the old ones. He would then have the ability to shape the new planet they were on into whatever he desired, and so he became the first ever pillar of Cephiro.

The land of Cephiro has always been and if tradition is followed, will always be upheld by a single person, who has the strongest will of anyone in the country. Because of this "pillar" system, Cephiro does not require any form of government or ruling body. In the event that a pillar can no longer fulfill their duties, they alone can summon three young people from another world to come and kill them because no one within Cephiro can harm the pillar and the only way to stop being the pillar is to end your life. The ancient pillars of Cephiro also accounted for the possibility that the pillar system might not be used forever. They recognized its inherent flaws. In this case, three men of Cephiro would become the Magic Guardians. The power would be bestowed upon them from deep within the being of the kingdom and they would have no choice in the matter. The job of the Magic Guardians, though much like the job of the Magic Knights, involves a lifetime of fighting instead of single job. They would be called upon to protect Cephiro from the monsters that would invariably pop up due to the impurities in the hearts of all people… 

Fuu slammed the book shut, "That is the answer. To save Cephiro, we must find the Magic Guardians!"

She was satisfied with herself for making this grand discovery, and along the way many other mysteries about this land were revealed to her, but the job she had set before herself would prove to be much more than she thought… 


	12. The Summoning

Chapter 12: The Summoning

Chapter 12: The Summoning

"Presea," Fuu called out as she stumbled into the garden. 

"Fuu? I thought you had gone..." Presea was caught off guard as she was sitting by the statue of Clef.

Fuu explained to her everything that had happened and showed her the scroll. "Presea, you and I have had our differences lately, and don't think I will forget, but we have to put those behind us for a bigger and more pressing cause." 

Presea nodded in agreement. This was the Fuu she had known, quiet when necessary but strong willed when she truly believed in something. 

"I want to summon back all of the people who have helped us in the past and representatives from all the major peoples of Cephiro. If they are already out there, we shall find them! …And we will save this land!" Fuu finished and Presea thought she saw the flames of conviction that Hikaru so often showed. 

"I know just who we need, follow me," Presea said walking back towards the castle. As she left, Fuu thought she saw a flash of light in Clef's eyes, but he was gone now, it couldn't be… 

Presea led her into the castle and up a large spiral stair case. It seemed as though they had been walking forever when they finally reached a landing that opened up from a long hall. They pressed on through the corridor. It was lined with large oil paintings of what appeared to be Cephiro, and for the first time Fuu began to realize the level of change the country had gone through over the years and even from when she had come here. 

"Here," Presea said pushing a large translucent emerald door open. Inside, Fuu saw an enormous botanical garden even grander than the one surrounding the castle. It had plants of every kind growing in it. Some were potted, some draped down from the ceiling, and some seemed to grow straight out of the floor. Fuu was hypnotized by its beauty. The ceiling was a large dome of the same green glass the door had been made of. Very slowly, Fuu began to sense something else. It seemed that her hypnotic state had not been caused by what she saw but what she heard! 

Beautiful serene flute music surrounded her and seemed to cause the plants to actively grow. As she turned a corner in the garden she found the origin of the music. She saw a woman with long straight brown hair wearing a brown leather jerkin and pants and a long blue robe with hood. The hood was down revealing her soft white face. She was playing a reed flute and she was surround by birds of all sorts fluttering around entranced by her tunes. 

"Hello," said a voice as soft as the light chime of a bell, "I am Suyan."

"Hello," Fuu said calmly. 

"We have a request to make of you," said Presea who was also entranced but it seemed as if she were more used to it.

Suyan didn't move or answer, but waited calmly for Presea to continue.

"We need you to send out a message with your birds and gather the important people of the country to this place for a very important meeting of powers." 

"Then your intentions are pure." Suyan said as she lifted the flute to her mouth and played a long series of notes before all the birds flew away on their mission.

"For the future of Cephiro!" Fuu and Presea called out in unison raising their hands towards the sky.


	13. 

Chapter 13: Turn Around

Chapter 13: Turn Around

Hikaru was enjoying her time at Ascot's exquisite manor, but she was beginning to feel restless. She had regained most of her abilities in sword fighting that she had lost during her time back in Tokyo, and she was feeling like it was time to move on. She knew Ascot wouldn't like it so one night she packed up her stuff, and prepared to leave without saying goodbye. What was the point? She would be back, of that she was certain. 

She crept silently down the steps from her room in the loft above the living room. 

"The thing I hate the most is not getting to say 'farewell,'" said Ascot in a sullen tone from behind a high-backed chair as she moved towards the door. Hikaru was taken by surprise, "Ascot, I didn't see you there."

"That was the idea," he said turning around to face her. Ascot had such long brown hair that his eyes were generally invisible, but now she could see them drilling in to her like knives. "I never got to say goodbye to Umi before you left from Cephiro. I know she loves Clef, and I'm ok with that, but I want to see her. I must. Hikaru, I am coming with you. I don't know what's come between you and the other Magic Knights but I know you will see each other again and I have to talk to her again… I still love her."

"Oh Ascot, I would be glad to have you along, but…" Hikaru wasn't able to finish her thought because she was suddenly interrupted by a loud chirping coming from one of the doors. Ascot jumped down and opened the door, revealing a small blue humming bird with a long orange beak. It chirped and fluttered around for a while before landing on a table and tossing something at them from off its leg. 

"What is that?" Ascot asked as Hikaru picked up the mysterious item. 

"It appears to be a tiny bit of parchment. Haha, I sound like Fuu," for a moment Hikaru forgot all about her feud with Fuu and she had remembered all the good times they had had together, but quickly silenced herself. "It says, 'A new breakthrough had been made in the war against the monsters that have taken over Cephiro. You are invited to a meeting at the grand castle to discuss actions to be taken in the near future. Please attend, Fuu and Presea.' Fuu and Presea agreeing on something. That's new! Maybe things are turning around for them," Hikaru conjectured. 

"Well it looks like we know where we are headed now," Ascot said cheerfully. He secretly knew and relished the thought that Umi would definitely be in attendance at this meeting. "Before we leave, I have a gift for you Hikaru. For staying with me these last couple of weeks."

"Ascot, you shouldn't have. I should be the one giving a gift since you have shown me your hospitality."

"You were the first human companionship I have had since the…Well anyway, here it is." Ascot turned back from the chair he had been sitting in earlier holding a great double edged ax with a red wood handle and the depiction of a dragon carved at the bottom.

Hikaru's eyes widened, "That is awesome," she managed before snatching it from him and trying it out in the air.

"Well then, lets go," and with that Ascot ran outside and summoned two of his friends, the giant haw/golden eagle beast and a black horse with white flames emitting from it mane and hooves. Hikaru hopped onto the horse and it galloped off into the sky. 

She yelled back to her seemingly ant-size comrade on the ground, "…and you'll ride Hawkeye over there?" She felt witty with her pet name for him. 

"You think too low of me, my friend," Ascot yelled up at her before jumping up and flying through the air, himself. "I am not just a Summoner!" 

"Woohoo!" Hikaru yelled as the four of them sped off through the night air. 


	14. 

A Little Bird Told Me

A Little Bird Told Me

It had been a few days since Umi had discovered her old sword at the Presea's graves site. Now she was just walking aimlessly through the woods, searching. She did not know specifically for what she was searching, only that her quest was to find truth.

As she was walking and considering her situation, she was approached by a large red bird carrying the same message Hikaru and Ascot had gotten. She unfurled the parchment and read it aloud to herself. She was unimpressed by the message's urgency, for nothing could come quickly in her quest, but it seemed authentic and she leapt at the chance of possibly reuniting with her friends. She had not realized until recently how much she depended on them for support, emotional and physical. She had no idea in which direction to travel to return to the castle, but she followed her instincts and eventual she found a stream, which she remembered ran nearby the grand structure, and followed it. She felt she could trust the water, her element, part of her soul. 

Suddenly she heard a rustling sound behind her and she looked back, "Ferio?" 

AUTHOR'S NOTES: OK, I know this chapter was overly short, but I needed something to happen to Umi and I needed her to start heading back to the castle, and this is what I came up with, so cope. Anyway, my chapters are generally short, but I like my chaptering system where I focus on only one of the main characters during one chapter. I hope you are all enjoying this. Look for a much needed update on an old friend (and I don't mean Ferio) next time. And the turning point in the story is coming very soon. 


	15. 

Portents

Portents and Fear

There is a being that exists everywhere in space and time, but who lives no where. All of that is about to change. A white face appears in nothing…

"My rebirth is inevitable. I can feel the blood flowing in my veins stronger, even now. Civilizations rise and fall, but hatred is forever. I will always be around to haunt you in one form or another, for one can not destroy anything that is pure…even pure evil. And I will purge this world of happiness, just as the people want. It is because of the people that I exist and it is because of the wills of these people that I am so strong here. I will take this world as my own, when I am reborn even grander than before. It is coming soon…I can feel her. My nemesis, my driving force, and my daughter. My adversary has returned carrying my loved one. They will pay for what they did to me, and I will have my vengeance if it kills me, and that is the sweetest part, I can not die…because I feed of death…" 

…Cackling, the face recedes into the darkness…


	16. 

Butterflies for Breakfast

Butterflies for Breakfast

****

Author's Notes: OK, so that last chapter wasn't the update from an old friend it was originally going to be, but that is coming soon. People have been unclear about a couple of things. First of all I changed the error where I said Fuu but meant Hikaru in Chapter 14. Also, in chapter 13, the horse that Ascot summons is not supposed to be the one that Lantis rides in the manga, and when Hikaru calls Ascot's bird friend "Hawkeye" she was trying to be cute, I am aware of the fact that that isn't his name. Also I changed up that confusing sentence a little bit in chapter 14.

Hikaru braced her self by digging her heels into the horse's flanks for their descent. 

"Wow, the castle looks beautiful from this high up," said Ascot from above her. Hikaru nodded her head in agreement, but her stomach was tied up in a knoot about this whole thing. She wanted to get back together with her friends very much, but that didn't make the prospect of dealing with the cold silence she expected to receive from them during this meeting. She wondered what it was all about and what Fuu had discovered. It must be important for her to have summoned all the important people in the country…

Flying overhead, Ascot was feeling a similar nervousness about seeing his old comrades again. He had not told Hikaru how much he had labored over the decision to leave the manor. He wanted to see Umi very much, even knowing that things were definitely over between them. He saw his attraction to Umi as puppy love, his first romantic experience in life, but when he forced himself to grow up, for her, he also realized that things would never work out between them and someday he would have to let it go. She lived in a different world that was not even attached to his. If long distance relationships couldn't work, then their's was doomed beyond hope. The problem came in when he thought about meeting everyone else again. The other thing he hadn't told Hikaru was about what had happened after they left, about why the group had broken up…Although he knew it was unlikely that she would be in attendance, he looked forward to the possibility of being reunited with Caldina, who had been the only one he had stayed close with. His bird friend must have been able to sense his anxiety because he gave him a reassuring pat on the back before they started to dip down in the air towards the fortress. 

"PUU!" came a familiar voice from the courtyard of the castle.

"Mokona," said the two adolescents in unison. It hadn't occurred to Hikaru until now that when the three girls split up that night in the egg shelter, Mokona had disappeared. She brushed off the thought, assuming he had just returned to the castle. 

When they landed, Mokona greeted them with two big soft hugs. The bird man and the flaming horse receded into one of Ascot's alternate planes for the time being so they wouldn't get in any one's way. They were both very happy to see Mokona, but he might be the only one… 


	17. The Summit part 1

Hikaru and Ascot entered the great amphitheatre located in the lower part of the place.The great meeting hall was filled with people of every race and region.They took a seat near the back, neither wanting to talk to anyone.Hikaru spotted many people, whom she recognized from her adventures, but no one whom she was particularly interested in seeing.

The two youths slumped down into their seats and directed their attention to Fuu, who appeared on the stage.

"Please take your seats and we will begin shortly," Fuu rummaged through the papers she had her presentation notes on.She had never told anyone this and she tried not to show it, but Fuu had terrible stage fright.She adjusted her glasses and began,

"I have called you together because as you all know, Cephiro is once again in trouble.Monsters run rampant across the countryside killing people and destroying towns and villages.When the final pillar of Cephiro (she was careful not to mention Hikaru by name), made her decision as to the extermination of the previous system of rule, she was not aware that such side effects would come into play."

Hikaru grunted from her seat, but no one seemed to notice.Her gaze caught Fuu for a moment, but the brunette jerked away from her stare and continued organizing her papers.

"We all know that this land is now being rightfully lead by the hearts of its people.Unfortunately, we also know that no human's soul can be utterly pure."

Memories of Emeraud and the madness she was driven to washed over every member of the congregation.

"The last pillar did not know the consequences of her actions, however, one of her predecessors did."

A murmur passed over the room.

"I have found and translated an ancient document giving accounts of Cephiro long before any of us were born.It states that when the cycle is broken and there is no longer a pillar, three young men must be located.They are to be the men with the strongest will in the country.The land will grant them magic and power and they will fulfill their calling as the Magic Guardians by protecting this realm from whatever plagues it, be it famine or invasion."

The people of Cephiro didn't even bother to hold back their conversations now.The room erupted with yelling and arguing.

"Isn't that asking the same thing that we hated about the pillar system, only from three people?Who and where are these guardians?How will we be able to tell when we find them and meet them?I don't understand, how could someone that old know of our future?"These were only some of the confused cries that rose from the room.

"Please calm down."Fuu said, still as levelheaded as ever."I do not know who they are, where they are, or how we will recognize them, but I am asking everyone in Cephiro to join in the search for them."

A dark-skinned man with the wrinkles of many years embedded in his face stood up raising a crooked wooden staff.He was dressed in tattered robes of a fabric, which neither Hikaru or Fuu recognized.

"I have traveled from the far reaches of this country to represent the city of Garkon.It is said that we are on the edge of reality because of the misty hot springs that lie on the other side of a nearby mountain range.It used to be a romantic spot for star crossed lovers, but lately the hot springs have been generating an aura of evil, and that evil is growing.A shadow is gathering there, and I fear it is growing beyond the control of any of us."

Hikaru rubbed her eyes and looked at the old man.He seemed to be glowing but faintly.His figure was being surrounded by darkness.Suddenly…

**FLASH** 

Where the old man had been standing, a tall slender pale-fleshed woman loomed over Hikaru, menacingly.

"I have come back, my beautiful darling daughter, and, soon, we will be together again," said the mysterious woman.

"Debonaire!?!?" Hikaru stared up at her old nemesis, horrified…

**FLASH**

"Hikaru, are you alright?" Hikaru turned to see Ascot looking at her with concern.She realized what had happened and frantically scoped out the room, but found nothing but an old man rambling on about his problems.She wiped the beads of sweat from her brow and turned back to Ascot,"I saw her, Ascot.She's come back."

"Who," Ascot leaned in closer.

Suddenly, Hikaru was interrupted, as the door to the meeting hall was flung open with a burst of air.Everyone turned to look at the two new arrivals.A strong but slender green-haired warrior entered the chamber closely followed by a young maiden with blue flowing locks.The duo went hastily to the stand, at which Fuu had been speaking to the crowd, and Fuu backed away sensing urgency.

Umi held her self tall and addressed the group, "This is one of the three, which we must locate to ensure the future of this land."She motioned towards Ferio, and the whole crowd stood up in applauding…


End file.
